SSU Board Take Steps to Help Parents Plan for Cost of College

Date

July 17, 2017

Information

A tuition guarantee program has been established for 2018-19 and beyond.

The SSU Board of Trustees voted at a special meeting on July 10 to establish a tuition
guarantee program that would begin fall 2018, pending approval from the Ohio Department
of Higher Education. The program, The Shawnee Advantage, would lock in the price of
tuition, fees, housing and meal plans for four years for first-time freshmen entering
fall 2018 and beyond.

“We want to help parents and students plan and budget for the cost of college,” SSU
President Rick Kurtz said. “With this program, they can count on tuition remaining
the same for four years. Affordability has always been a key focus at Shawnee State
University and we are proud to offer a ‘best value’ education — combining high quality
academic programs with affordable tuition.”

Kurtz explained that The Shawnee Advantage is a cohort-based, guaranteed undergraduate
tuition program. It ensures that the cost of tuition, fees, room and board will not
increase over the course of four academic years, or 12 consecutive semesters, for
all new first-time or transfer students seeking an undergraduate degree. Tuition is
set by the SSU Board of Trustees each academic year and guaranteed for four years
for each entering cohort beginning with those entering fall 2018. Current students,
or those enrolled before summer 2018, are not covered by The Shawnee Advantage program.

“We thank the trustees for their ongoing commitment to making a college education
possible for students throughout our region, state, and beyond,” Kurtz added. “The
Shawnee Advantage tuition guarantee is another example of that commitment — one that
we believe our parents and students will greatly appreciate as they plan for the future.”

Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor John Carey said the guarantee is a
positive way to make higher education more affordable for students and families.

“I congratulate the SSU Board of Trustees and administration for keeping their focus
on students and for providing them with another tool for an affordable education that
helps lead to completion of a degree,” Chancellor Carey said.